we keep this love in a photograph

Chapter 8

Monday morning was grey and muggy, a thin haze lingering over the city as Jennie made her way to the office. She'd woken up at five to work out and then gotten ready for work, beating the heavy traffic, but not the lone photographer linger outside J Corporations, snapping photos of her as she swept into the building with a disgruntled look on her face. The office was quiet and Karina wasn't there yet when Jennie stepped off the elevator and swept past her assistant's desk.

Hanging up her coat and stowing her bag, Jennie was halfway through the influx of emails that had been pre-screened and colour-coded according to importance by Karina when her assistant stepped into the office, a newspaper tucked under her arm as she held a green juice and a tablet.

"Good morning, Miss Kim."

"Morning, Karina," Jennie said, looking up from her screen, "good weekend?"

"It was quiet. I have a kale and green apple juice for you today, and here's your schedule for the day. The weekly meeting with the department heads has been scheduled for lunch today; I've ordered catering from that sushi bar you like."

Nodding, Jennie extended a hand for the newspaper that Karina was holding, taking in the uncertainty on her assistant's face as Karina nervously shifted. "Thank you, Karina," Jennie pressed, "and the newspaper?"

With a quiet sigh, Karina handed it over and Jennie unfolded it to find her face on the cover, small at the top right of the page, alongside a photo of Rosie in her military dress uniform, standing before the American flag. Biting back a curse, Jennie tore open the newspaper to find the page number displayed on the front, and was greeted with the title Lovestruck Kim, along with a reprint of the photo of her and Rosie kissing. It seemed inevitable that the local news would find out from the gossip sites, although Jennie still didn't find it newsworthy, and it bothered her that they'd figured out Rosie's identity.

Sometimes, she forgot that her life was so public, her every business decision scrutinised and anticipated by business journals and news sites, but it had never really crossed over into the realm of relationships before. Only her family's private life had ever been under the microscope, and Jennie could understand why, but this was something new and she wasn't sure that she liked it.

Heart racing, she pressed a clammy hand to her forehead, eyes scanning the article before she swallowed, her mouth dry, and looked up at Karina. Composing herself, Jennie tossed the newspaper onto her desk, folded in half and hiding their faces, and cleared her throat.

"That'll be all," Jennie murmured.

Karina was the same age as Jennie, and it left her feeling uncomfortable at times, to know that the lives they led were so different, that Karina could've been her friend if Jennie hadn't been her boss, hadn't been the boss of everyone in the company. She could see a flicker of what could've been in her assistant's eyes as Karina hesitated, looking as if she was about to say something comforting, or perhaps encouraging, before she remembered her place and ducked her head in assent before backing out of the room.

Sipping her juice as she debated whether or not to tell Rosie - would it freak her out? Or should Jennie prepare her? - her phone vibrated on the desk and Jennie glanced down, finding Rosie's name on the screen as if she'd summoned her. Setting her drink down, she picked up the phone and answered it.

"Good morning," Jennie quietly murmured, a smile in her voice even as she stared at the newspaper with a twisting discomfort in her stomach.

"Hi. I, uh, I know you must be busy, but I- Alice told me about some newspaper article."

Grimacing, Jennie sighed, leaning back in her chair, "I'm looking at it right now. I should've warned you last week, but some gossip rag was running a story with the photo. I guess it's picked up enough interest to make the local news."